GROWING PAINS
WORLD champion Rob Cross bids to make more darts history tonight – less than a week since a major health scare left him in hospital.
Cross could become only the second player, after Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, to win both a world title and the Unibet Premier League playoffs at his first attempt at London’s O2 arena.
But he was only cleared to face hot favourite Michael van Gerwen in the semifinals after being diagnosed with costochondritis – chest wall pain caused by acute inflammation of cartilage connecting ribs to the sternum.
Cross admits he was “crippled” by the agony and said: “Doctors tell me the pain is equivalent to a heart attack in terms of intensity, and for a couple of days it was awful.
“I couldn’t lift my arms above my shoulder and I had to stay behind in Aberdeen last week, after the final round of Premier League fixtures, to get it checked out in hospital.
“I missed my flight home and then I had to go for further tests at the Conquest Hospital at home in Hastings before I was given the all-clear to take part in the play-offs.
“Apparently it could take up to six months to clear up, but I rested it over the weekend and over the last couple of days I’ve felt fine.
“It’s not ideal to go into a big night like this after a health scare and not feeling 100 per cent, but at least we know the problem is not too serious and I can deal with it.
“I haven’t practised as much as I would have liked, but I won’t be making any excuses if I don’t perform on the night. “I’ve worked very hard for 15 weeks to reach the play-offs, and I don’t want to blow it.”
Cross pipped Van Gerwen in a thriller-past-midnight semi-final on the way to claiming his world championship crown at Alexandra Palace five months ago. In the other semi-final, twotime world champion Gary Anderson (inset) meets his former protege Michael Smith.
The winner will bank a cheque for £250,000, the highest prize money in darts outside world championship treasure chests.